Jokowi orders acceleration of Asiad infrastructure projects

BINTANGNEWS.com
– President
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered all relevant parties to speed up the
completion of infrastructure projects that will be used to support the 2018
Asian Games.

The President has
also emphasized projects in the transportation sector in Sumatra that he says
are crucial to ensure inter-regional connectivity during the regional sports
event.

“Toll road, railways
and the LRT [light rail transit] are also needed to support the economy in
South Sumatra,” Jokowi said when addressing a limited Cabinet meeting at his
office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Jakarta and the South Sumatra provincial
capital of Palembang are slated to host Asia's biggest quadrennial sporting
event.

Furthermore, the
President has also called for the acceleration of the development of special
economic zones (KEK) in Tanjung Api-Api and Tanjung Carat.

These projects would
be able to create jobs and hence drive better economic growth in the province,
Jokowi said.

“The KEK can also
accommodate investment in the processing industries, such as 'petro chemicals'
and 'crude refineries', as well as automotives, electronics and manufacturing,”
said the President. He added the government would continue to boost the
productivity of the agriculture sector.

It was decided in the latest coordination
meeting between the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee and other
stakeholders that the upcoming 2018 Asian Games will include 484 events in 42
sports.

Last week, Vice
President Jusuf Kalla said the government had spent Rp 30 trillion (US$2.2
billion) for infrastructure construction to support the Games.***